GLP-1 drugs

What these drugs are

GLP-1 receptor agonists lower blood sugar in type 2 diabetes; some are also approved for weight management or to lower heart and kidney risk. Most are weekly or daily injections.

Who prescribes it

• Family Medicine 30.1%
• Internal Medicine 23.1%
• Nurse Practitioners 20.5%
• Endocrinology & Diabetes 13.8%
• Physician Assistants 7.0%
• General Practice 0.8%
• Cardiology 0.8%
• Geriatric Medicine 0.7%
• Pharmacists 0.6%
• Nephrology (Kidney) 0.5%
• Hospitalist 0.3%
• Interventional Cardiology 0.2%

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Share of Medicare prescriptions written by each specialty.

Industry payments about this drug

Drug makers reported $48.2M in payments to clinicians that named this group of drugs in 2025 (meals, speaking, consulting and similar).

• Novo Nordisk Inc $28.9M
• Lilly USA, LLC $19.1M
• Eli Lilly and Company $221,087
• Novo Nordisk As $45,232
• Eli Lilly Export S.a. Puerto Rico Branch $15,710
• AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP $2,887

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Source: CMS Open Payments, general payments (not research), program year 2025. A payment is not evidence of wrongdoing. Payments by doctor

Recalls and shortages

On the FDA shortage list now

• Liraglutide, Injection, 6 mg/1 mL (NDC 0143-9144-02) (Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.)
• Liraglutide, Injection, 6 mg/1 mL (NDC 0143-9144-03) (Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.)
• Liraglutide, Injection, 6 mg/1 mL (NDC 0480-3667-20) (Novo Nordisk, Inc.)
• Victoza, Injection, 6 mg/1 mL (NDC 0169-4060-12) (Novo Nordisk, Inc.)
• Saxenda, Injection, 6 mg/1 mL (NDC 0169-2800-15) (Novo Nordisk, Inc.)
• Victoza, Injection, 6 mg/1 mL (NDC 0169-4060-13) (Novo Nordisk, Inc.)
• Liraglutide, Injection, 6 mg/1 mL (NDC 0480-3667-22) (Novo Nordisk, Inc.)
• Liraglutide, Injection, 6 mg/1 mL (NDC 71288-563-85) (Meitheal Pharmaceuticals, Inc.)

6 recalls since 2020

• Aug 2026 · Amneal Pharmaceuticals of New York, LLC · Class II
  Defective Delivery System: Possibility of no medication in the prefilled pen.
• Apr 2026 · Lupin Pharmaceuticals Inc. · Class II
  Presence of particulate matter: a white thread-like structure in the cartridge
• Apr 2022 · Cardinal Health Inc. · Class II
  TEMPERATURE ABUSE: Products were exposed to temperatures outside of the products labeled storage conditions
• Aug 2021 · Eli Lilly & Company · Class II
  Labeling: Label error on declared strength - autoinjector devices labeled as 0.75 mg / 0.5 mL actually contain 1.5 mg / 0.5 mL of product.
• Mar 2021 · Novo Nordisk Inc · Class II
  Temperature Abuse: product samples were stored at temperatures below 32* F which is not in accordance with storage requirements that could cause a lack of efficacy and damage to the cartridge and pen-injectors.
• Mar 2021 · Cardinal Health Inc. · Class II
  CGMP Deviations: Intermittent exposure to temperature excursion during storage.

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Recalls usually affect specific lots from one maker, not every version of a drug. Class I is the most serious; most drug recalls are Class II. FDA recalls (opens in a new tab)